Australia announced their Ashes squad for the first Test on Circular Quay in Sydney this morning but it was a worthless display of drum banging as marketing needs overpowered cricketing priorities. They chose a squad of 17, which is more than the number of official players in the travelling England party.

To announce the squad 10 days before the start of the series, before Australia A had faced England in Hobart, made no cricketing sense but Cricket Australia is under increasing financial strain and the marketing argument held sway.

Australia's selectors will now take a serious look at another round of Shield matches before trimming the squad as they fret over players either out of form or plagued by injury doubts. They will cast a most anxious eye towards Sydney, where New South Wales take on Tasmania in a Shield game and two potential Test players seek to prove their fitness.

The fast bowler Doug Bollinger and opening batsman Simon Katich both came through club games unscathed after returning from injury. Katich has had a long-standing thumb injury which took a turn for the worse on Australia's recent tour of India.

Australia's greatest concern, though, concerns their vice-captain, Michael Clarke, whose back trouble returned with a vengeance when he struck a Shield century for New South Wales last week. Clarke has been plagued with back trouble throughout his career and has previously missed a one-day series in India and a Champions Trophy as he has sought to manage the problem.

Clarke insists the problem is minor but it hindered him at the crease and will prevent him from gaining further match practice against Tasmania.

Michael Hussey is another Australian stalwart who approaches Brisbane out of sorts. Greg Chappell, Australia's first full-time selector, has urged him to cast aside the inhibitions of age and play more attacking innings.

The announcement of Australia's Test squad comes as Andrew Hilditch, an increasingly unpopular chairman of selectors according to a series of public polls, insists he will not relinquish the post after the World Cup in March following Chappell's appointment. Hilditch, a former Australia opening batsman and Adelaide lawyer, intends to apply for a new contract.